The Sixties

What is called the Sixties refers mainly to the late 1960s. This blog deals primarily with activism at the University of Texas in the early 1960s. Chandler Davidson, who was a leader in the civil rights movement at UT, organized a reunion (held Dec. 3, 2010) for the 50th anniversary of the stand-ins, a movement to integrate theaters on the Drag (Guadalupe Street in Austin).

I did not participate in the stand-ins myself. I participated in a restaurant integration demonstration earlier that year, and was in the University “Y” when it was bombed. From the time the stand-ins started, I did not attend an off-campus movie until the theaters were integrated, regardless of whether demonstrations were taking place. When I was not eating at the dorm, on a few occasions I succumbed to peer pressure and ate with friends at segregated restaurants. As I do not remember any of the meals or the conversations, obviously it would be a more satisfying memory had I stuck to principle consistently in this area also.